Sophie Weingarten was born on May 5, 1760, in Glatz, which is now known as Kłodzko, in Lower Silesia, Prussia. She was the daughter of a secretary for the Austrian legation. When she was 19 years old, her father lost his job. To secure her future, she married a much older man named Theodor Ursinus, who was a counsellor of the Supreme Court. After their marriage, they lived in Stendal until 1792, after which they moved to Berlin.

Sophie lived with Theodor Ursinus until his sudden death on September 11, 1800. This was just one day after he celebrated his birthday. After he died, Sophie was suspected of wrongdoing because she had given him medicine that seemed to make his condition worse. During her marriage, Sophie began an affair with a Dutch officer named Rogay. It was believed that her husband knew about this relationship. Rogay left Berlin for a while but returned again before dying from what was initially thought to be tuberculosis. However, it was later found that Sophie had bought arsenic just before he died.

On January 24, 1801, an aunt of Sophie named Christiane Witte passed away after a short illness. Christiane left Sophie a significant inheritance. Not long before the aunt's death, Sophie had also purchased arsenic. In February 1803, her servant, Benjamin Klein, became sick after having a conflict with her. She tried to care for him with soup and other remedies, but his condition worsened. Klein grew suspicious and had plums she gave him tested. They were discovered to contain arsenic.

Sophie Charlotte Elisabeth Ursinus was arrested in 1803 after her husband’s sudden death raised suspicions. His body was exhumed for an autopsy. During the autopsy, chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth and his assistant Valentin Rose examined the body. They could not confirm arsenic poisoning, but they saw signs that suggested he might have been poisoned.

Sophie was also charged with the murder of her aunt, Christiane Witte. Experts exhumed her aunt's body, and this time they found clear evidence of arsenic poisoning. They concluded that Sophie had poisoned her aunt.

The trial for murder ended on September 12, 1803. Sophie defended herself vigorously, disputing all claims against her. However, she was found guilty of murdering her aunt and attempting to murder her servant, Benjamin Klein. The court sentenced her to life imprisonment.

While imprisoned in Glatz, Sophie lived fairly comfortably. She hosted parties and wore fine clothes. After 30 years, in 1833, she received a pardon. She returned to society in Glatz, where she lived until her death in 1836.

The case was notable for the work of Valentin Rose, who helped prove the presence of poison in the victims. His findings indicated that the testimony from doctors present at the time of death was not reliable for confirming poisonings. In 1836, a new method called the Marsh test was developed by chemist James Marsh, which improved the detection of arsenic.